Improvement in tucking device for sewing-machine



R. H. sT; JOHN; Y Sewing Machine Tucker.

Patented Oct. 20, 1868 N- PETERS, PHOTO UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

It. H. ST. J OHN, OF BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN TUCKING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINE.

Specificatioiiforming part of Letters Patent No. 83,219, dated'October20, 1868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, R. H. ST. JoHN,of Bellefontaine, in the county ofLogan and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Tuck-Folderfor Sewing Machinery; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view of the instrumentcomplete. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the instrument, showing, by the aid of red lines, thearrangement of the cloth for being folded and stitched. Fig. 3 is a topview of the instrument.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to improvements on devices which are designed foruse upon the cloth-plates of sewing machinery, for the purpose offolding cloth in tucks or plaits, in the act of feeding the clothbeneath the needle.

The nature of my invention consists in combining a pressuregage plate,which is upon the end of a hinged handle, with an adjust-- able folder,a cloth-guide, and an adjustable plait-guide, in such manner that clothcan be readily and neatly folded in plaits, and also accurately guidedin the act of moving it up and beneath the needle of a sewiug machine,said parts being so constructed that the folds or plaits can be made anydesired width and any desired distance apart, as will be hereinafterexplained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the bed-piece of theinstrument, which is a long narrow strip of metal, having lugs is formedon its upper face at one end, an extension, h, formed on its back edge,and an elevation, a, formed on the end opposite the lug 70. Thisbed-piece is to be secured upon the cloth-plate of a sewing-machine bymeans of a clampscrew passed through an eye which is made through theextension h, or in any other convenient manner. If desirable, a slottedextension might be formed on plate A, instead of the piece 72, so as toadapt this plate for being secured to different sewing-machines. To thelugs 70 one end of an arched handle, B, is

pivoted, by means of a transverse pin j, to the opposite end of whichhandle a flat plate, 0, is rigidly secured, as shown in the drawings.This plateO is properly marked on its top surface, so as to adapt it toserve, in conjunc .tion with a sliding plate, D, as a gage-plate forindicating the width of the folds made, or to be made, and the distancewhich it may be desired to make these folds. This plate 0 also serves asa pressure-plate, by means of which the operator can, with the hand uponthe handle B, apply any required pressure upon that portion of the clothwhich is drawn beneath it, as indicated in Fig. 2 by the red lines.Plate 0 extends nearly to the perpendicular shoulder s of the elevationa, so as to fold and hold the cloth against this shoulder.

From the back edge of the gage and presstire-plate G is a right-angularextension, 0, which increases the 'width of the folding-edge of thisplate, and serves, in conjunction with the opposite straight edge of atapering extension of the plate A, as a means for guiding the foldedwork up to the needle.

In the upper face of the elevated portion a. a dovetail grooveis made,and into this groove is fitted a plate, D, which may be made of anyrequired length, and which should be allowed to slide in a directionwith the length of the bed-plate, so that the edge nearest the handle Bcan be adjusted to any one of the marks upon the pressure-gage plate 0.This slideD should be in a plane parallel, or nearly so, to the surfaceof the bed-plate A, and it should be fitted into its groove so that itwill not be liable to slip out of place during the operation of foldingthe work.

On the front edge of the bed-plate is a rectangular plate, E, oneportion of whichis slotted to receive through ita binding-screw, b, forsecuring it to the bed'plate in any desired position. The lower portionof this plate E is extended along the edge of the bed-plateA beyond theshoulder s, and constructed with a guide, f, upon its end. This guide ismade by reducing the end of said extension to a knife-edge, turning thisend up, as shown, and forming upon one side a shoulder, which willsustain this end, upon the plate A, against downward pressure of theplate 0 in the act of guiding the folds or tucks to the needle.

To use this instrument, it is first secured in proper position upon thecloth-plate of a sew 1. The pressure-gage plate 0, applied to theing-machine. The folding-slide D is then free end of a hinged handle, B,substantially moved aside, so as to allow the plate 0, with as and forthe purpose described.

its handle B, to be raised high enough to in- 2. The pressure-gage plate0 on the hinged troduce a portion of the cloth to be plaited handleB,incombination with the folding-plate beneath it. The guide having beenadjusted D, substantially as described.

and set in proper position, according to the 3. The pressure-gage plate0 on the hinged Width of spaces required to be left between handle B, incombination with an adjustable the plaits, the plate 0 is depressed andthe guide, f, and a folding-plate, substantially as slide D moved overthis plate to a given mark. described.

This will fold the cloth as indicated in red in 4. Thevertically-adjustable gage-1: late C,

Fig. 2, and as the cloth thus folded is guided constructed with anextension guide, 0, upon up to the needle the pla'its will be stitched.it, in combination with a shoulder, s, and ex- While folding andstitching one plait, the tension-guide 2', formed on base-plate A, andoperator presses with the hand upon thehana horizontally-adjustableslide, D, substandle B, and thus causes the guide f to hold the tiallyas described.

cloth in a line parallel to the plait which is being stitched, by whichguide the next plait is formed parallel with last one stitched.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, isl R. H. ST. JOHN.

Witnesses:

WARREN NIouoLs, SAML. H. APPL

